Your Downfall
by Lily Luna Longbottom
Summary: Lily finds out a secret about James, that might just change the way she sees him. Warnings: self harm. Oh, and I've decided to just leave it a one-shot.


Hiya, it's me again. I like angst, as you can tell. Reviews would be appreciated, as i would love some constructive criticism. Thanks!

_ Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or setting or anything else you recognize, as much as I wish I did... __:(_

James POV

I drew the tip of my wand own over my wrist, retracing the letters I had carved over and over again, in notebooks, furniture, walls and my own flesh. I watched as the tiny beads of blood formed into lines and dripped down my arm into the crook of my elbow. The crimson droplets then fell and splattered onto the white of the sheets below me. I looked at my masterpeice, shining scarlett below me. The delicately carved L.E. stood out against my pale white skin. Her name permanantly etched in my skin. Wouldn't she be happy if she knew she caused me as much pain as I caused her?

"Prongs!" My head jolted up looking for the source of the noice. "Evans is waiting for you!"

Shit! I forgot about that. Lily and I were supposed to go to Gringotts today to pick something "top secret" up for Dumbledore. It wasn't customary for students to do favours like this for the headmaster but all the teachers were busy getting ready for the Holloween feast and being the Head boy and girl, we were the next best thing for him to send. I felt a strange sense of pride knowing that Dumbledore trusted me with something as important as this.

"Tell her I'm coming, Padfoot!" I yelled back as i quickly scourgified the blood off of my arm and the sheets. I cast a quick disillusionment charm on the scars and pulled open the curtains. I'd heal the cuts later, there was no time for that at the moment.

"Potter, what took you so long? We only have five minutes to be outside and board the carriages to Hogsmeade."

"Calm down, Evans, we won't be late."

"Yes we will be, if you don't hurry up!"

"Fine, fine. Let's just get this over with." I said as I really looked at Lily for the first time since I came downstairs. She was wearing muggle clothes. Her light jeans clung to her every curve and her red t-shirt showed off her milky whit arms and just enough chest. Her hair fel in sof waves and was pulled into a half ponytail. She cleared her throat to get my attention, only then did I notice that was staring.

"Er, sorry Evans. I'm just not used to seeing you dressed like that."

"I could say the same to you, Potter." She said geturing to my light green polo and dark jeans.

"Er, yeah."

"What's with you today,Potter? You're acting like more of an idiot than usual." I felt my heart twinge painfully.

"Let's just go." I mumbled.

I was standing in Hogsmeade waiting with Lily for the carriage to arrive to take us back to Hogwarts. We'd apparated to Diagon Alley and already been to Gringott's. I now carried an small but heavy package in my front, right pocket. Getting to the vault was a pain in the ass though, being one of the older ones it was pretty far back. We had, somehow, ended up going through the Thiefs Downfall as a shortcut to the vault, which came as quite a shock to both Lily and I. Professor Dumbledore told us that we could spend the rest of the day shopping, seeing as it was the weekend and we weren't missing any classes but I just wanted to go home and back to bed. Lily seemed slightly disappointed but decided that she could use the extra time to study anyway.

The carriage arrived and I climbed on but Lily seemed to be having some trouble, so I offered her my hand. I pulled her into the carriage but as she got to the last step she looked down at my hand and gasped. My eyes followed her gaze straight to my wrist where my sleeve had risen up when I pulled her in. There, marked in angry looking, red welts was half of the intitials L.E.

"J-James, what is this?" I didn't answer, instead I gazed around the carriage guiltily. I heard a sharp intake of breath as realization hit her.

"Ja-James...H-how c-could you? Why w-would y-you?" I glanced up and noticed her eyes where filled with tears, threatening to overflow.

"I-I can't explain. Not here. Not now."

"Then when and where James? I need to know. What drove you to do this to yourself?"

"Why does it matter?" I said, a little harsher than I had intended.

"Because it does!" Lily answered back, her voice rising."Because, no matter how big of a prat you are, you are still a human being and whatever you're going through, it's not woth this." She finished, her voice leveling out again. I reach my left hand forword and pull the my sleeve the rest of the way up, exposing the whole scar.

"L.E." I hear her mumble, her eyes widening as the next realization hit her. "This is my fault. I did this to you." She mumbles again as she callapses in my arms.

"I love you, Lily Evans." I whisper, wiping away a tear falling down her cheek. Next thing I knew, her lips were on mine, warm and inviting. I kissed her back, pouring as much emotion into it as I could.

"How many times?" Lily asked, slightly breathless,her forhead pressed to mine, after we had parted.

"Four, this month."

"How many months?"

"Two."

"And, how many the first month?"

"I don't know, I was drunk most of the time."

She was silent for a moment.

"James?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's not okay, but it will be." I said as I reclaimed her lips.

" What I don't understand, is why I couldn't see them before." Lily wondered as we walked up to the castle hand-in-hand.

"See what?"

"The scars." She whispered.

"Oh, those. I was, uh, using a disillusionment charm."

"Well, what happened to it. Disillusionment charms don't just stop working, James, unless you cast a really bad one and if that's what it was, it wouldn't have lasted as long as it had."

"Oh, then I don't know."

"Wait." Lily exclaimed. "I know, it was the Theif's Downfall! It washes away any enchantments or concealments used my the occupents of the mining carts that go through it."

"That makes sense."

"You could say, that the Thief's Downfall was also your downfall." giggled Lily.

"Your so cheesy, my Lily-flower." I laughed spinning her around and into my arms.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway, Jamey."

"That, I do." I whispered, nuzzling her neck.

"Come on, slow-poke." Lily laughed, releasing herself from my arms and running towards the castle. I watched as she ran in the sunlight, her gorgeous, flaming hair flying out behind her. Merlin, I loved her.


End file.
